Celebrating a Dark Horse happy ending

It’s a rare thing to watch firsthand as a tragic situation turns into a miraculous happy ending. I had that privilege in early 2023.

More than 10 years ago, Ray was referred to me by a shop owner who was retiring (I’m leaving out his last name intentionally). I hired him, and he has been an invaluable part of the growth of Dark Horse Woodworks. Ray is both talented and extremely reliable, which is a valuable combination as any business owner knows. He has always worked late when we were up against a deadline or an unexpected turn in a job, and he’s never complained. He is multitalented in the shop, but his area of expertise is finishing – if you have our cabinets, and they have finish on them, he probably did it.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Ray is a huge sports fan, cheering on the Hawks, the Falcons and the Braves. He also cuts hair as a side gig.

Ray has had heart issues for awhile, and at the beginning of this year, they took a turn for the worst. He was hospitalized in fragile condition, and his doctors told him only a heart transplant would save him.

Ray, who is just 40 years old, is married to Davida, and has a stepson, Sean, whose life he has been a part of since Sean was two years old. Over time, they have become like family to me, and it tore me up to see how sick Ray was and how hard this was on his family.

Because all of this happened in early 2023, Ray and Davida had not met any of their deductibles. Given his life-threatening complications, the medical costs of his hospitalization were adding up quickly.

Here is a message I sent to a friend at the time:

He is approved for a heart and was moved up to priority one [in the region]. However, his kidneys are shutting down because of the multiple days of lack of blood flow, so they're starting to work on that right now. He's also been given every vaccination known to man in the last couple of weeks because you have to be up to date to be approved. The doctor basically said that if they had a potential donor that person would have had to go through essentially all the same things he has or his body would reject it, so he's many months away from it happening.

It was tough to see Ray so sick, and I was trying to be hopeful that he would come through this. I couldn’t do anything to help on that front, of course, but I realized that the financial stress was something I could try to relieve – with the help of our community.

With the permission of Davida, I created a GoFundMe for Ray and his family. I shared it on social media and in the Cabinet Makers Association community, and I was blown away by the number of generous donations that began to flow in from all over the country.

The money itself was life-changing for Ray and his family, but the caring and good will that came along with all of those donations was just as powerful. If you’ve ever heard someone (probably a generation or two above you) say, “It did my heart good” … well, that’s what all of those donations did for Ray and his family and for me as Ray’s friend.

And thankfully, another amazing gift came along soon after. On February 7, Ray received a new heart. Getting the heart is just the first part of the challenge in a transplant, but thankfully, things progressed so well that Ray went home on February 24th — Davida’s birthday. His recovery is going well, and he even dropped by the shop for a visit in March.

I had a chance to thank our CMA friends at the recent national conference and also through a message on the CMA’s online forum. I included a note from Ray. Here is an excerpt:

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart! I truly appreciate your gracious generosity, prayers, and donations. I'm doing great according to the team of doctors. Prayer works, and without God, none of this would be possible. Love, Ray

I’ll never forget how the CMA and our community in Atlanta rallied around Ray — and by extension, Dark Horse Woodworks.

Thanks so much for reading Ray’s story — and please send him and his family all of your most positive thoughts as he continues to bounce back.

~ Chris Dehmer